LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Open any fashion magazine and you 're instantly bombarded with a collection of blindingly beautiful celebrities , bedazzled with shimmering jewels and perfectly coiffed `` messy hair . ''

Anna Boccia Lewis has been a DVF fan since the 1970s . Do you own a wrap dress ? Tell us why .

They teeter on gorgeous stilettos strutting their perfectly toned figures in clothing that could cost as much as a typical mortgage .

Close that same fashion magazine -- or maybe ever-so-gently hurl it at the wall -- and perhaps you 're left feeling slightly inadequate and envious . After all , why should we be left out of all the fun just because we ca n't afford the clothing in the magazine ?

But there is one fashion item that has arguably been bridging the gap for more than three decades between the wealthy elite and the average woman . This item is Diane Von Furstenberg 's wrap dress .

Just like the `` Little Black Dress , '' Furstenberg 's wrap dress is considered an essential in many womens ' wardrobes .

Diane Von Furstenberg , or DVF as she 's known , sold her first wrap dress in the 1970s .

`` It has been a unique phenomenon , '' the Belgian designer told CNN . `` What was new about my wrap dress was that I did it in jersey and therefore it molded the body and it was very flattering to the body . ''

Technically speaking , a wrap dress is like a kimono .

`` It 's a very traditional form of clothing , it 's a dress that has no buttons and no zipper , '' said Von Furstenberg .

Since its inception , millions have flown off the racks . But that is n't to say the dress did n't see its dark periods as well .

There was a time when the trend for wrap dresses was declared over , but like any good -LRB- or bad -RRB- fashion , it experienced a revival .

`` Fashion changed completely and things went away , '' said Von Furstenberg . `` Ten years ago I started again because I saw that very hip young girls were buying them in thrift shops . ''

That trend continues today . While the dresses are stocked in DVF stores , they are regularly bought and sold in vintage stores and through online auction sites , such as eBay .

`` My love affair with the DVF wrap dress began in the 1970s , '' says Anna Boccia Lewis , a self-confessed `` DVF addict '' from California .

`` One of my first purchases was a yellow floral vintage DVF shirtdress that I found at Goodwill in South San Francisco for $ 4.75 .

`` I think what I love the most about Diane 's designs is that each one has its own special personality -- just like the woman who is wearing it , '' Anna said .

CNN asked other women to tell us what it is about DVF dresses that make them so special . Tell us your story -- `` Sound Off '' below .

`` They make me feel not only sexy , but successful , sophisticated and timeless , '' said Carolyn Yapp , a 24-year-old DVF devotee from Jamaica .

Melissa Calivis Green from Baltimore told us : `` For me , the iconic prints represent a sense of powerful femininity and the promise of endless possibilities . ''

Tracey Jennings of the United Kingdom has been wearing DVF dresses for the last ten years . She said : `` Like a lot of women , I have varied in size from year to year . As a result , my wrap dresses range from size four to size 10 . ''

Kirsty Palmer , also from the United Kingdom , recently sold one of her DVF dresses on eBay . `` I like to change my selection , '' she said . `` Buying vintage wrap dresses makes them more affordable for me , yet I still get the benefit as if I were buying new due to their classic cuts and their durability . ''

Do you own a wrap dress ? If so , we want to hear from you . Why did you buy it and what does it mean to you ? `` Sound off '' below or Email us a picture or go to CNN 's facebook page -- facebook.com/cnnintl .

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Diane Von Furstenberg 's wrap dress has been a fashion staple for decades

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The DVF wrap dress is made with jersey which flatters female shapes

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Readers told CNN about their devotion to their wrap dresses since the 1970s

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Do you own a wrap dress ? Send an email and a photo to revealed@cnn.com